Chris’s journey into photography was borne from a love of travel and a desire to discover a world beyond regional Victoria and inner-city Melbourne. As he travelled to destinations such as Africa and Vietnam, he found the inherent beauty, truth, and complexity that travel reveals.
Chris speaks of developing compassion, humility, and a greater awareness of the state of the world. The natural by-product of his travels was to document his experiences and the people and places he ventured. Chris’s early photographic career included a two-year stint as a commercial photographer. Then, in 2012, he travelled again and documented the lives of second-generation abandoned children living with the consequences of Agent Orange, mercilessly used throughout the Vietnam War. While Chris won the Australian Walkley Slideshow for this project, he revealed to us that he would like to return to Vietnam and document this humanitarian issue further.
One of Chris’ outstanding, ongoing projects - They Teach Us To Sing But There Are No Songs About Us - is a decade-long exploration of the heartbreaking impacts of Ugandan culture and government policy inadequacies upon children born with intellectual disabilities. For Chris, the project is more than just another assignment. During our discussion on The Camera Life, Chris discussed the project, his empathetic approach to working with affected families, and his involvement in creating positive change through raising awareness and advocacy. He spoke of the social injustice inflicted upon children and families for raising a child with an intellectual disability. In a culture where intellectual disability is still considered a curse and ‘mercy killings’ are still a common practice, Chris elevates the cause through powerful imagery and storytelling. What stood out to me was Chris’ connection with the people he photographed. Upon reviewing his images, Chris was able to name every child, mother, and family member, demonstrating a profound connection to those he spent time with.
“Chris’ work is an examination of the effects of systemic and embedded societal inhumanity that is not often covered in mainstream media. His intention – to bring these human rights issues to the forefront of public awareness – is to ‘use photography to show intimate commonalities despite our differences, to create empathy and inspire a different, more benevolent way of thinking’.”
Chris’ is a highly accomplished photojournalist with a long list of awards and accolades. As an Australian photojournalist, Chris is a three-time Walkley Award winner - Australia’s most prestigious and highly regarded prize for photojournalism. He has also been a Walkley Finalist on countless occasions. Beyond the Walkleys, Chris is a two-time National Photographic Portrait Prize Finalist and has also won Melbourne Press Club "Quill Awards" prizes. It’s only April 2025, and Chris’s photojournalistic work has won Pictures of the Year International (POYi) ‘World Understanding Award’ - ‘They Teach Us To Sing…’ (International), Melbourne Press Club "Quill Awards" - winner - 'News Photograph' – ‘Riot’ (Melbourne), and Melbourne Press Club "Quill Awards" - Winner - 'Feature Photograph' – ‘They Teach Us To Sing…’ (Melbourne). Beyond the awards, Chris’ work is included in the collections at The Australian War Memorial, State Library of Victoria and the Victorian State Archives.
It was an absolute pleasure and inspiration to have Chris join us on The Camera Life. Be sure to head to our channel and watch the episode. If you’re unfamiliar with The Camera Life Podcast, be sure to take a look at our YouTube channel for the latest episodes and, of course, our back catalogue of weekly shows. Our shows are also available on popular audio podcast platforms. If you like what you see, please give us a thumbs up, subscribe to The Camera Life, and click on the bell icon to receive notifications of upcoming shows. We host two shows weekly, the first being every Thursday at 9am AEDT (Australia), where we interview amazing guests. The second show, The Random Photography Show, airs every Monday at 7:30 pm AEDT. The Random Photography show is a little random, a little loose, and a lot of fun! Be sure to check them out.
Find Chris Online:
Website: https://www.chris-hopkins.com.au/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnhop/
